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Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Reviewing the Plan

"So let me quick run through this to make sure I have it
right," I said, beginning to get annoyed, but worrying that if I got too
uppity the demon in front of me would start ripping my limbs off. "I go into the Department of
Transportation carrying a knife dipped in human blood, which I'm going to
attempt to stab Azraal with. My attempt
will fail, Azraal will kick my ass, and this is all according to plan?"

"You only need to succeed enough to convince Azraal
that your plan was to bring him down on your own," Gavsot corrected me
calmly. "If you come close enough
to succeeding to be a threat, he will consider your effort to be legitimate and
without guile. Once you fail, you must
flee the department on foot. He will
follow you with the hope of capturing you in his own territory and making it
easier for him to strip you of your title and assume control of Hell."

I was starting to understand. "So while he's chasing me," I
finished, "You and your men jump out and stab him for real?"

"Precisely," the General said. He seemed pleased. "You are both the bait and the
diversion."

"If this backfires," Gus reminded me warily,
"Azraal becomes the new Devil and you're stuck in Hell as a powerless
human just like any of the other tortured souls down here."

Gavsot shrugged as if to acknowledge Gus' remark but dismiss
it as unimportant. I thought for a
moment and then said, "General Gavsot--where will your ambush be set
up? I take it storming the Department of
Transportation in full force would require too much manpower?"

"Demonpower," Gus mumbled to himself.

Gavsot looked grave.
"I could attack in full force," he said sternly. "I do not wish to. It is unwise to consolidate all military
power in the same place." His tone
of voice made it seem like if I asked for too much backup, he would withdraw his
support and leave me out in the cold.

"Okay," I said nervously. "Surgical strike it is. So where will the ambush be set up?"

"Directly outside the gates of the Department of
Transportation," Gavsot said.
"You must survive long enough to escape the building."